Creating a multimedia biography can become a real challenge because it requires making appropriate decisions pertaining to the choice of a digitally mediated platform and specificities of the future design. Moreover, creating an interesting and appealing presentation is also complicated.
Because this assignment requires reporting on the duties and job descriptions of child protective specialists and operating room technicians, the initial decision is to choose GoAnimate as the platform for designing the biography. The motivation for selecting this multimedia tool is the fact that animated biography is more attractive and it is easier to describe duties and occupations using videos instead of pictures. Moreover, this platform is easy to operate and it offers a wide range of backgrounds, objects, looks, and uniforms.
Child protective specialist (CPS) is an official title of a caseworker. This job relates to protecting children from neglect and abuse (Lee, 2016). CPSs carry out numerous tasks from conducting researches to working in administrative capacities (Ritter & Vakalahi, 2015). Their primary duties are to estimate the risks of neglect or abuse of a child within a family unit, save children from danger moving them to foster care or custody, interview and coordinate families and those interacting with unstable families on reducing risks of abuse and neglect, reporting on cases of abuse and neglect, etc. (NYC Administration for Children’s Services, n.d.).
As for operating room technicians, they are the licensed nurses, who possess practical skills necessary for assisting surgeons and other nurses during surgeries (Health Career Directory, n.d.). Their primary responsibility is to create an appropriate environment in the operating rooms (Henderson & Dolphin, 2007). Their duties include setting up and sterilizing instruments, preparing operating rooms and patients for surgeries, performing a variety of tasks during a surgery such as holding retractors, light, and equipment, passing instruments, assisting, etc. (Mitchell & Haroun, 2016).
The first decision is to create two short videos depicting primary duties of two occupations under investigation. It is motivated by the impossibility to connect them in one multimedia biography. The background of the presentation describing a child protective specialist is an office. It will show a woman in a suit working with piles of papers. Another second, she grabs a file and runs out of her office. The next moment, she interviews a family and some people interacting with its members.
Here, it is recommended to show a scared child. It is also vital to include some emotions and show that she is upset, surprised or satisfied with the interview as well as some comments or questions to make the working process understandable. Later, CPS will be shown reporting on the interview within her administrative unit and delivering recommendations to family members. The closing scene is a picture of a happy family and CPS highlighting the significance of this vocation.
As for creating a biography of an operating room technician, the idea is to begin with depicting a surgery. The operating room is full of surgeons and nurses. Every time one of them is puzzled and needs an instrument or assistance, a slightly visible figure performs every task. After a surgery is finished and everyone is out of the room, the scene will show a person cleaning everything up. The closing shot will portray a tired but smiling person wearing scrubs hinting at the invisibility but, at the same time, paramount importance of the fulfilled job.
References
Health Career Directory. (n.d.). Operating room technician.
Henderson, C. J., & Dolphin, J. ( 2007). Career opportunities in the Armed Forces. New York, NY: Ferguson.
Lee, T. (2016). Catching a case: Inequality and fear in New York City’s child welfare system. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Mitchell, D., & Haroun, L. (2016). Introduction to health care. Boston, MA: Cengage.
NYC Administration for Children’s Services. (n.d.). Becoming a child protective specialist. Web.
Ritter, J. A., & Vakalahi, H. F. O. (2015). 101 careers in social work. New York, NY: Springer.